The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-05-17
EXPLORING ALASKA.
Lieut.. Stoney's Travels Through an
Interesting Country-Native Gus
toms and Language.

ploring expedition, at Oonalaska, sept.
Pc. 1886. writes: We landed at Pipe
Spit, Hotham inlet on July II. 1885,
ard moved eighteen months provisions
three hundred miles up the Putnam
river, making two trips with the steam
or Explorer. We left one years pro-
visions cached at the Spit, established,
winter quarters at Fort Cosmos, built
log house forty-seven by thirty-nine
with seven-foot wall underground;
stabbed logs with a saw-mill, cut five
thousand feet of lumber for the roof,
chinked the logs with moss, and lined
the house with canvas. 1t was very
comfortable.
We moved in on Sept %, 1885. The
RIVER troze on Oct. l and broke on
june 10, 1886. The mean thickness of
Che ice was six feet. The lowest
temperature was seventy degrees be.
low zero. Fahrenheit in January at
The fort We made accurate meteorol-
ogical and astronomical observations
of all phenomena recorded.
Early in December Lieut.. Stoney and
Ensingn Howard commenced sledging
northward and westward. They
crossed the Norfolk river, and finding
its head waters, sledged TO the noun
tains beyond. They found numerous
lakes, and a river flowing into the Col
vile. There are may natives in the
mountains who never saw a white man
before. During January and February
Passed Assistant Engineer Zane sledged
to St Michael's and returned over one
thousand miles of mostly new country.
He made rough survey between the
Putnam and Yukon rivers.
During the journey Lieut. Stoney
slc,iged over the country between Fort
Cosmos and Selewick lake and river.
This river is quite extensive. In March
Ensign Read slcdged part of the Put
nam river valley and found hot springs.
During march Lieut.. Stoney sledged
noEthward and eastward, intending to
cross the Arctic ocean. They sledged
twenty-three days, reaching the limit
of She mountains. Then the natives
would 60 no further They were short
of food at times and were obliged to
depend upon the country. The natives
ssid that in the spring they would cross
and take him with them, but could not
return until the following winter. He
made arrangements for two white men
tn go with them. He reached Fort
Cosmos on April 8.
On April II Ensign Howard, with
Price, the carpenter, and the mate,
started with all the provisions that the
slcds could carry. They found the ma
tives. and accompanied them TO the
coast They reached the latter sixty
miles eastward of Point Barrow on
June %. They were detained there by
ice until July u, but reached the point
on the 10Th. when they found white
men stationed there for trading and
whaling. They were ninety-six days
in crossing.
Ensign Howard found the head wa
tcrs and sledgod several days on the
Colville river. He found a new river,
on WHICH he iloated to the Arctic
ocean. Alaska north of the mountain
Gus limit is barren plain, which it is
only possible to cross in the spring and
fall when the game crosses. The par
t. g.. II g.,
and sometimes short of that There
was very heavy ice in tho Arctic ocean
this season.
The whalers had reached Point Bar
row on Aug. II, the steamer Bear on
the 18th. Ensign Howard found ma
tivcs going down the Colville river to
the ocean. Some of these go east to
Herschel island and Cape Bathurst
communicating there with the Hudson
bay natives. Some natives went with
him down this new river to the coast
for the purpose of trading with the
whalers. and some to Point Barrow.
Others remain in the mountains all
summer
These natives sledge to the eastward
every year. going one season and re-
turning the next. They are two years
ON the round trip. There is thus regu-
lar native communication east and
west and north and south. Some ma
tiyes fear each other and will not COM
mnaicate. There are no tribes and no
recognized chiefs.